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Soil moisture and soil type affect Rhizoctonia root rot and yield components of soybean plants

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  • Maicon BALBINOTTI,
  • Jaqueline HUZAR-NOVAKOWISKI,
  • Júlia DOS SANTOS DE BRITTO,
  • Milena BALBINOTTI FERREIRA,
  • Pedro Alexandre VARELLA ESCOSTEGUY,
  • José Luís TREVIZAN CHIOMENTO,
  • Mateus POSSEBON BORTOLUZZI,
  • Luciane Maria COLLA,
  • Laura MUGNAI,
  • Nadia CANALI LÂNGARO
Maicon BALBINOTTI
Agricultural Microbiology Laboratory, Graduate Program in Agronomy, University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Bio
Jaqueline HUZAR-NOVAKOWISKI
Agricultural Microbiology Laboratory, Graduate Program in Agronomy, University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Bio
Júlia DOS SANTOS DE BRITTO
Agricultural Microbiology Laboratory, Graduate Program in Agronomy, University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Bio
Milena BALBINOTTI FERREIRA
MB Consultoria Agrícola, Soledade, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Bio
Pedro Alexandre VARELLA ESCOSTEGUY
Graduate Program in Agronomy, School of Agricultural Sciences, Innovation and Business, University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Bio
José Luís TREVIZAN CHIOMENTO
Agricultural Microbiology Laboratory, Graduate Program in Agronomy, University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Bio
Mateus POSSEBON BORTOLUZZI
Graduate Program in Agronomy, School of Agricultural Sciences, Innovation and Business, University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Bio
Luciane Maria COLLA
Graduate Program in Agronomy, School of Agricultural Sciences, Innovation and Business, University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Bio
Laura MUGNAI
Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forest Science and Technology, Plant Pathology and Entomology Section, University of Firenze, Firenze, Italy
Bio
Nadia CANALI LÂNGARO
Graduate Program in Agronomy, School of Agricultural Sciences, Innovation and Business, University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Bio
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/phyto-17030
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Published 2026-06-12

Keywords

  • Glycine max,
  • edaphic factors,
  • disease management,
  • water deficit,
  • soil-borne pathogen

How to Cite

[1]
M. BALBINOTTI, “Soil moisture and soil type affect Rhizoctonia root rot and yield components of soybean plants”, Phytopathol. Mediterr., Jun. 2026.

Copyright (c) 2026 Maicon BALBINOTTI, Jaqueline HUZAR-NOVAKOWISKI, Júlia DOS SANTOS DE BRITTO, Milena BALBINOTTI FERREIRA, Pedro Alexandre VARELLA ESCOSTEGUY, José Luís TREVIZAN CHIOMENTO, Mateus POSSEBON BORTOLUZZI, Luciane Maria COLLA, Laura MUGNAI, Nadia CANALI LÂNGARO

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Abstract

Rhizoctonia root rot (RRR) reduces soybean yields, and is influenced by soil conditions, but there is a lack of knowledge on effects of soil moisture and soil type on disease severity, in subtropical environments. Increased RRR during periods of water deficit in southern Brazil reinforces requirement to understand interactions between soils and moisture affect severity of the disease and crop yields. Two greenhouse experiments were conducted to evaluate combined effects of soil moisture (50, 65, 80, or 95% water holding capacity; WHC) and soil type (Acrisol, Cambisols, Leptosol, or Nitisol) on soybean RRR severity and yield components. Increasing soil moisture from 50 to 95% WHC linearly reduced RRR severity and linearly increased numbers of soybean pods, grains, and grain weights, inside and outside RRR patches. In Experiment 1, at 65% WHC, RRR severity was less in Leptosol than on Acrisol, but there were no differences between these two soils and the other soil types. In Experiment 2, soil type did not affect RRR severity evaluated at all the tested soil moistures. High soil moisture (≥ 80% WHC) mitigated RRR, and extended the soybean growth cycle. Low soil moisture (50–65% WHC) intensified RRR severity, increased plant death, and reduced soybean grain yields.

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